Follow this mini blog series, get to know these brides, and learn about the range of emotions they experienced — so you can get a sense of what you may go through on your big day. Here, the brides share how they felt 5 minutes before their wedding ceremony.

5 minutes before the ceremony, I felt...

"I expected to be a weeping mess as I waited with my dad to walk down the aisle," said Channon from New Jersey. "But I didn't shed a single tear. I felt weightless and filled with incredible joy — an overflow of love and euphoria. I felt immense gratitude and happiness for all of the things that brought us to this point in time, and to my father who was about to take me on the most memorable walk of my life. Weepy? Not one bit. I took a deep breath, and felt really, really ready."

"I was giddy with anticipation," describes Tina from New York City. "I stood with my parents at the very back of the tent, and I could see everyone — but they couldn't see me. It was an awesome bonus and a surprise to have those few minutes to really look around, from that hidden vantage point."

"The awful panicky feeling had been replaced by excitement," shares Laura from Tennessee. "I was still nervous, but as my dad took my arm to lead me to the ceremony space, he told me, 'Remember, don't walk too fast. We'll go as slow as you need to go.' That made me smile, because that small moment sums up who my father is: Practical, patient and thoughtful. He's always looked out for what's best for me, and my wedding day was no different."

Allison Moir-Smith is The Bride Whisperer and uses psychology to solve sticky wedding-planning situations. Look for her next post, "How I Felt Walking Down the Aisle."